This wedding was truly amazing. I’m excited to share it with you. Lauren & Andrew married in the Summerall Chapel at the Citadel, Charleston, SC. But the day’s festivities started downtown Charleston on King Street as the bride and her sister got their hair and makeup down at Cos Bar. Follow along with me…

Here is great ariel type shot over Charleston from the Francis Marion hotel. I really like the warm tone from the winter sunlight. It sets the stage for the wedding.

‘Tis the season…for Love.

Lauren looks so happy on her wedding day. I also photographed her and Andrew’s engagement session, they are just super fun and goofy with one another. It’s great.

Andrew has previously served our country in the military and now in law enforcement for the City of Charleston. The flag is a wonderful reflection of that as Andrew is silhouetted in the foreground. Thanks to Alex for this cool photograph.

Lauren decided to go with a uniquely designed feathery and flowing wedding dress (sorry if I’m describing it wrong, I’m a guy HA). 😀

I chose to photograph her wedding shoes on the floor of the hotel room. I was drawn to the blue and gold color of this vintage pattern. I felt like it accented the wedding colors very well. Plus it seemed to match the elegance of her shoes.

This has got to be the cleanest ‘getting ready’ room I’ve ever seen. Here’s a tip: Have your bridesmaids do their best to keep the rooms clean. It makes the photos turn out so much better.

Hahaha. I’m not going to even mention those curlers (whoops, I guess I did anyways!). This Charleston wedding photo of the bride getting into her dress is hilarious!!!

Lauren is dressed and ready for her wedding day. She looks beautiful.

I’m very happy with the way this wedding shoe shot came out. Again, that pattern matches so well. There is also very good window light coming in. Love it!

The time is getting closer…the wedding is coming quickly. From here we head to the Summerall Chapel at the Citadel for their first look reveal.

These vintage buses were provided by Low Country Valet.

Lauren’s father and sister walk her to meet Andrew for their first look reveal.

Wedding guests watch the first look from a distance.

Andrew is super excited to see his bride.

I love this moment between the two of them. She really likes him in his cap and uniform.

They’re so sweet to each other. I chose black and white for this image to convey the intimacy of the moment they are sharing together during their first look.

I can’t tell you how much I like this shot of them holding hands and walking together. Once again, I think black and white makes this image shine.

Lauren is such a sweet and laid back bride. I’m really excited for them to get married in a few minutes.

Andrew’s father gives him a congratulations and well done handshake.

This is an awesome shot of the groomsmen in front of the Citadel barracks. I think the tough guy, serious look works really well for this one.

Bride’s sister’s little kiddos were the cutest things.

I’m throwing in this family formal shot to show you how awesome this particular location and time was. Just remember not every family formal has to be at the foot of the altar. We can go outside for some more warm and light hearted shots instead.

Here is one more family shot of the bride’s sister and her family. They’re going to LOVE this shot. It’s not too often that families with little ones get shots together. I’m very happy to take these kinds of photos at the wedding. Just grab me and we’ll do it!

For the ceremony, we move inside the Chapel. Guests are seated and everyone awaits the Bride’s arrival.

Check out those Christmas decorations! You’ll see more in a second.

Lauren is escorted by her Father and Mother down the aisle to be handed off to Andrew in marriage.

I absolutely LOVE Lauren’s eccentric reaction here.

Just look at how beautiful the Christmas decorations are for their ceremony.

These two just can’t stop smiling!

I used the tilt-shift lens to add an artistic look to this wide shot of the wedding ceremony in the Summerall Chapel.

I wish I could remember what was said here but something must have been SOOOO FUNNY. Just look at Lauren in the right photo above. The best part is the officiant’s face. HAHA.

Yay! Bride and Groom first kiss as husband and wife!

That ceremony was wonderful. From here the wedding party headed to the South Carolina Aquarium for the wedding reception.

Random fact about the above image: Blue and orange are complementary colors. And this is a jellyfish. HA, you knew that one though, and maybe the first one too.

I believe I heard that this big guy is over 100 years old. That’s amazing.

Guests were allowed to explore the aquarium during the cocktail hour. That made the reception much more enjoyable, I think.

I really liked the South Carolina Aquarium as a wedding venue because there were so many different areas and rooms for the guests to explore. Everything wasn’t crammed into one single room. It was kind of an adventure.

When we arrived at the Aquarium I made sure to take more wedding portraits of them two. I like how different the Aquarium makes the photos look.

I can’t get over how happy these two are.

This was a total different style wedding for me. I normally shoot outdoor ceremonies at Charleston plantations and such. I’m really happy with the aesthetics of this wedding. You can’t go wrong with a setting like this one.

This tank is over two stories tall! But their love for each other is probably even taller (if that even makes since HA).

Bride and Groom enter the wedding reception from the escalator. That’s pretty grand.

The Bride’s Father kicks off the evening with a welcome speech and toast.

HA. Here her Father was making jokes about Andrew’s shooting skills. Obviously it was pretty funny for both of them! I’m glad he had a sense of humor.

This has got to be the funniest cake cutting moment I’ve seen. Look at that helmet and that commando knife!

The Bride and Groom dance together for the first time.

The wedding guests had a wonderful time socializing and dancing all night long! It was a great party.

More Bride and Groom portraits incorporating the Aquarium tanks and their sweetness towards each other.

And the heels come off! Let the dancing begin!

Yup the crazies start!

Everyone was having a great time thanks to Lucas for keeping the party popping for hours.

Towards the very end, friends and family joined to together in celebration of friendship, life, and love.

And a sweet kiss to end the night.

I hope you enjoyed that walkthrough of Lauren and Andrew’s wedding in Charleston. I like to hear what you think, leave a comment below.